Hello all,
I am new to the AR world and I am going to be putting one together. This “http://yhm.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_24_41&products_id=207” is the upper I want to use. Any help or advise you all could give would be a big help. Thank you.
This is the 3rd YHM thread in a week.
:suicide2:
OP, save your money until you’ve done a good amount of reading here.
Read around a bit. Use the search button up top. The short answer is No. The long answer is well covered if you do a bit of research.
for the same price you can get a much better BCM or Daniel Defense upper like the M4 V3.
Asking for opinions on the internet guarantees that you will get a bunch. Remember, opinions are like noses - everybody has one and they all smell. Facts are different, but judgments based on opinions culled from gun boards are not too helpful. BCM and Daniel Defense are “popular” and thus are assumed by many to be superior. If you are planning to go into combat soon, you might care about the difference between LWRC, DD, Noveske, POF etc. Much of it is a distinction without a difference. They all make great products. My personal favorite is LaRue - but that’s cause I love the stuff I have purchased from them.
As to the Black Diamond Spectre upper - I like it. I just finished a build using a YHM milspec upper, a YHM Todd Jarret mid-length forearm and Sabre Defence barrel. The upper receiver is nicely made, full mil-spec and fits perfectly with my Colt SP-1 Carbine lower (pre-forward-assist). I put a Wilson Combat TTU trigger assembly in it and I really like the way the gun handles and moves. It is also a tack-driver accuracy-wise. I added a Spike’s carrier with nickel-boron coating. I built the gun to match my tastes, and all I can tell you is that the two main YHM parts are really well made and finished.
I also have a fairly new Daniel Defense V5 and think it is nicely made and it certainly shoots well. If you can find a DD upper that suits your needs, it would be a good choice as well.
Think long and hard about whether you really need all those rails. Real tactical AR-15’s in the world of the true operator have minimal crap hanging on them. Just what is needed on a mission-specific basis.
YHM will change the forearm of the upper you are looking at - so take a look at their other choices as well.
So, keep trying to get facts. Not opinions. Look for info from folks who have actual experience with YHM (or any other brand you are considering). Good Luck!
P.S. - I’m new here and don’t mean to offend anyone. Apologies in advance if I did. I’ve spent years on other gun forums related to pistols, but thought the M4 forum was really a cut-above the other black rifle hot-air balloons and joined.
BCM and DD are popular here for a reason and are thought to be superior for reasons that I am not going to list here as they can all be found in hundreds of threads by using the search button.
Also, there is a difference in calling your items “milspec” and releasing all of the information on how it is made, tested, what materials are being used , etc.
. Much of it is a distinction without a difference.
Really? Are you saying there is no difference in a YHM or DD/Colt/BCM? Just wondering.
It was not my intent to compare YHM to the makers cited in the post as to distinctions without a difference. If you read it that way, then I wrote it poorly. I think I only referred to what are generally thought to be the “top line” AR-15’s. (Including LaRue). The operative term is “generally thought.” I think others make good products that don’t have the same brand recognition or reputation that will serve a range-warrior or plinker more than adequately. If you have personal experience with Brand A vs. Brand B - that matters. That you hold shared opinions with lots of other folks doesn’t make a thing true. It just makes it popular. As an example, having cleaned Adams Arms, CMMG and Stag No. 8 pistons, I will STRONGLY endorse the Adams Arms piston. Never shot an LWRC or POF piston gun, so have no opinion (or facts). Military purchases are a pretty strong endorsement of a product for battlefield use.
I like the YHM parts I purchased and used for a build. The forearm in particular is spectacular as to utility and maneuver as well as fit and finish. I do not want to hijack the OP’S thread - he asked about YHM and its new Black Diamond upper. Instead of directly focusing on the question and offering factual distinctions between YHM and DD or BCM, he was told to go search. That might help him, but I thought a non-elitist reply might be more helpful
With all due respect.
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My brother’s Black Diamond’s castle nut came loose this weekend while we were shooting. This happened about 2-hours after I told him the YHM isn’t highly regarded and he told me it will “suffice”.
He called me today asking what he should get after he sells the YHM. I told him right now at $1000, a Colt 9620 is very hard to beat.
But maybe it’s just me…
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OP - here is an external review of the upper you are thinking about buying. It is not a detailed review, but may be helpful to you.
http://trrtactical.blogspot.com/2009/03/tactical-reviews-yhm-black-diamond.html
…Seriously? You’re setting up your argument with this?
Facts are different, but judgments based on opinions culled from gun boards are not too helpful. BCM and Daniel Defense are “popular” and thus are assumed by many to be superior.
I smell opinions forthcoming . Can you point out some threads where the superiority of BCM and DD were simply assumed based on opinion and popularity? Those are the kind of facts we’re talking about right?
I really like the way the gun handles and moves. It is also a tack-driver accuracy-wise.
Thanks for the hard data. Such a breath of fresh air to get the straight dope for once.
I came to this site because I was tired of threads like this on TOS. There is nothing wrong with an elitist attitude when it comes to using your weapon to protect your life or others. The professionals on this board that rely on their rifle day-in and day-out understand this simple fact. They require quality parts that will not fail them when they need it.
If you want to go plink paper or shoot prairie dogs then buy anything you damn well please. If you’re looking for quality products that others have been willing to stake their life on then read The Chart and do some research.
With all due respect.
lja, please read these two threads.
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=70019
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=54936
This is not a hobbyist board, this is not Arfcom. There are very valid reasons why YHM is not considered a serious use manufacturer, and they go well beyond “fit and finish”.
New members have a tough time here when (pardon the language) trying to jump in balls deep. It’s much better to sit back and read until you get a grasp of who knows what they are talking about and who doesn’t. If their name is highlighted in red blue or green your probably safe. The majority of them only speak from experience and if it was bad they will tell you. They have been around the m4 and similar systems to have had buyers remorse about a lot. They are also way past the point of pride when they do and will tell you when something is shit. For every post I’ve had I’ve read a thousand. Keeps me from eating crow a lot more.
Are you kidding me?
I don’t normally use the AR platform very frequently, but after the 2009 SHOT Show, I was determined to familiarize myself with the latest AR15s and the many derivatives. I spent some time with the fellows at YHM, discussing the production, advancements, and accessories for the AR platform.
The guy reviewing that piece said up front he barely knew anything about the AR system but spent most of his time at YHM getting educated? Are you kidding me?
It would help to know what you have in mind for how you want to shoot it, what made you choose that particular upper, what sort of optic and lower you plan to mate to it, your relative level of experience with the AR, etc.
These things cannot exist in a vacuum, and knowing the above will also help some people from wasting their time with opinions that might not be welcome. For example, if you work for a department hat has 25 issued YHM carbines and they’ve all been “flawless” there will be little point in anyone trying to talk you out of it because you’re always going to believe your own (perceived) reality over a bunch of people on the internet. If, however, you are totally new to ARs, never fired one, and chose that upper because you think it looks like all the others with some “cool” aesthetic features and a price you can afford there may be hope and we might be able to help straighten you out!
Let me Google this for you:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=site%3Am4carbine.net+yhm+yankee+hill
I wanted to come back and add that if I came off as asshole, it wasn’t aimed at JoshuaS.
Sometimes the membership here get a little snippy because we’ve seen people come in numerous times, who haven’t taken the time to sit back and do some research here on the board, and we have to answer the same types of questions repeatedly.
In any case, there are certain brands, such as Colt, Daniel Defense, Bravo Co., Noveske, and LMT that have been proven performers that do meet real mil-spec, or higher. If you would like an upper that looks similar to that Yankee Hill, you can do it with high quality components from the above companies…usually for similar amounts of money.
If you have some affinity for YHM, its likely you’re going to go with what you want but listen to reason, no one on this site is going to tell you to buy YHM, including me. I speak with experience when it comes to this company. They no doubt produce some “tacticool” stuff, dont be fooled by it! their “tech” guys dont really know shit and will tell you whatever they think you want to hear. I bought one of their diamond fluted barrels, they claimed on their site the barrels were chrome-moly vanadium, in order to have vanadium they must be 4150. Long story short I called as to the metal makeup of the barrel and after having different not so sure answers thrown at me by the “tech” guys I got in touch with the owner, found out barrel steel is 4140. In the end after talking direct with the owner of the company I got my answer and my money back for the barrel an they changed their wording on the website. Nothing they have is mil-spec quality, I do have one of their diamond rails that seems to be doing its job until I replace it with a DD rail.
The FF rail system is ok. I have some on some plinker rifles and they are fine for that.
Think about what you are looking at. You are looking at a $1,000 upper. You can buy a BCM with a similar quad rail for a lot less money. Oh and nobody can reasonably argue that BCM is not top quality. You have a choice. Obviously if you ask a manufacture if their rifles are good or great they will ALWAYS tell you “yes.” But see I am a KAC guy. I own a BCM as well. So I have no stake in either but I would buy a BCM for a lot less before I buy a YHM. I am not saying YHM is total crap, but there are too many better choices for less money.